Everyone needs to take breaks from being on their A-game. But how many and how long? It’s a matter of what kind of actions are necessary to achieve your ambitions, and how reasonable your ambitions are. I recommend the career office (bit.ly/BC-career), the academic counseling folks at the CFLC (bit.ly/BC-connors), and peer wellness coaches at the Center for Student Wellness (https://bit.ly/BC-wellness-coach) as starting points for grounding your balance and discipline in your goals.

Glad to be of service! Your boyfriend is cute partially because he’s objectively cute and partially because you are looking at him through the filter of your feelings for him.

It’s just rude. They may never have learned any manners. It’s perfectly ok to flat out state that this is not ok behavior – and I’m very sorry you have to deal with this!

The subtler thing to watch in history is how many different ways it’s possible to make the same mistakes. Humans are still humans in the past. What you really learn from history is how people are.

It’s been a bit over 5 years. I’ve loved every minute of it.

She just manages to surround herself with people who assume they know what’s best for her. Like in New Moon when Edward’s like “this is for the best that I just totally abandon our relationship because my brother almost killed you,” and she didn’t even get a say? Like, dude, you can’t just make sweeping decisions for other people like that. Not cool. Then Jacob was flaky af during his angsty new werewolf phase. And then Alice pulls her little disappearing stunt in Breaking Dawn? She really should have just stuck with Angela as a bestie. Angela never would’ve done any of that.

I’m right here! And on the web: library.bc.edu/answerwall

Try reading a different kind of thing. If you’ve been reading serious fiction for lit classes, maybe try mysteries, or romance, or science fiction. That also works if you’re burnt out on textbooks and other non-fiction. You might enjoy a biography of someone you admire, or a how-to book about a topic you’re interested in, or a cookbook, or an almanac, or a fairy tale, or some poetry, or a play. If you’re visually-oriented you might try an art book, or a photo book, or something from our graphic novel collection. Maybe listening to an audiobook would work better for you (listening to a book totally counts as reading). If you’ve been reading print books, try ebooks or vice-versa. I’m being general because I don’t know what you’re interested in, but if any of this sounds good, turn around to your left and ask my helpers at the desk for recommendations. Let us help you find something you’ll like.

Whether or not it’s liberals or warriors or just residents of a city criticizing the pandemic response, the lockdowns in Shanghai (which soon may be in Beijing as well) are hurting people. Whether or not they should quietly submit to suffering is a moral question. It’s easy to say “let them suffer,” when you’re not there, or when people you value and love aren’t there. Sometimes I’d also like to consign people with whom I disagree to the dustbin of history, but if the solution to all disagreement is the dustbin, ultimately doesn’t that end with everyone in the dustbin?

I don’t actually eat, but I hear the best and freshest yogurt is homemade. If you’re really into yogurt, I recommend the book Yoghurt : a global history by June Hersh (O’Neill TX380 .H47 202, Level 3 row 141). It has recipes!

I’m fine, thanks for asking. I hope life is treating you well!

Hello! I will never wish violence on anyone, but I also hate bullies. May there be peace soon for all peoples, but until then I agree with the defenders of Snake Island: https://n.pr/3vrkN5I

Song: Simple Minds, “Wall of Love” Poem: Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” bit.ly/frost-mending Quote: “It takes as much time to build walls sturdy enough for wallflowers like you and me to lean against as it does for us to bloom.”
― Ayokunle Falomo

There is no one best book a graduating senior should read; but if I had to suggest one, that one would be The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (found as an ebook in our catalog, or QA76.2 .P38 A3 2008b). Just check it out with enough time to return before you leave! Or find your local public library wherever you are headed.

There is nothing to forgive here. Being rejected means you were brave enough to put yourself on the line. Be as kind to yourself as you would be to your best friend.

BC is with you wherever you go in life. Keep in touch with your friends and the professors you learned important lessons from. Visit when you can, but for now, “Go, set the world on fire!” P.S. love you too. Visit me online library.bc.edu/answerwall/

I am thinking about all of you, and wishing you as little trauma, as much joy, and as much learning as possible for the remainder of the semester. I’m thinking about the difficult world situation, for which I, The Answer Wall, have no great answers. And also otters. It’s hard to not think about otters, isn’t it?

So glad to be here for you to visit! (And my assistants and I had no trouble reading your handwriting, BTW.)

I have no idea, but I am happy for you!

Proud. No question. Writing about loss somehow brings out the best in us: “I got dark clouds all over me but somehow, I still shine.”